Now, it is upto Afghan leadership whether prefers national interests or personal: FM

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Terming Afghan peace deal as key development towards peace in the country, Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that now, it is upto Afghan leadership whether they prefers the country’s interests or personal. It is pertinent to mention here that Qureshi who was in Qatar’s capital Doha on a three-day visit attended the historic signing ceremony of a peace agreement between the US and Afghan Taliban as representative of Pakistan. While addressing a press conference on Sunday, the foreign minister said, that the people want peace, now it is the test of the leadership how they act flexibly, what steps the Afghan leadership takes for the roadmap to the peace. “They prefer the national interests or personal interests,” he maintianed.

Critics of Pakistan lauded its role in peace deal

The minister elaborated that the critics of Pakistan have also lauded its role in the peace deal. He urged for rapid progress and avoiding delay in talks between Afghans. He said he also talked with the US Secretary of State for attention on political instability within Afghanistan.

Pakistan warns of spoilers who want to sabotage peace deal

“We cannot ignore the role of spoilers. I spoke to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the signing of the deal and raised four points of concern. One of the concerns was the role of spoilers which have always been present, inside and outside Afghanistan,” Shah Mehmood Qureshi said. “We have to keep eyes on them,” Qureshi said, adding, that a mechanism must be put in place to identify those playing a negative role. “The ultimate decision will be in the hands of the Afghanistan government and a foreign actor cannot make that decision for them,” he mentioned.

FM hopes Ghani will play positive role on release of prisoners

Commenting the release of the prisoners, Qureshi said there needs to be progress on the issue. “Some prisoners are with the Afghan government and some with the Taliban. We are hopeful that President Ashraf Ghani will play his role in keeping the environment healthy and understand the importance of the agreement.” The foreign minister added the political unrest in the country must also be addressed. “We do not want to get involved in the internal politics of the country or create any hurdles. The US can have a very important role in this.”